Disulfidptosis-based cancer therapy: Opportunity and challenge

Cancer represents a significant global health threat, with traditional treatment modalities often facing substantial limitations. Consequently, novel therapeutic strategies have garnered considerable interest. In recent years, regulated cell death has achieved remarkable success in cancer treatment, as it is crucial for eliminating abnormal cells. Strategies aimed at inducing regulated cell death, especially disulfidptosis, have become increasingly important in cancer therapy. As a newly identified form of cell death, disulfidptosis has attracted growing attention in cancer research. This process is intricately linked to cystine uptake, consumption, and alterations in the actin cytoskeleton. In addition, disulfidptosis has been effectively utilized in bioinformatics research and has emerged as a biomarker for various cancer types, with the potential to serve as a therapeutic target. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the canonical disulfidptosis signaling pathway, recent research advancements, and its application potential in oncology. We also examine current bioinformatics-derived biomarkers and potential targets. Crucially, we explore potential research directions for disulfidptosis in cancer and identify existing research challenges.